Great X-pectations by Jason M. Bourgeois

What Are They Thinking?

Yeah, a bit more enigmatic title than I usually do, but if you’ve been following the x-news, you know what I’m talking about. I’ll get to it in just a moment.

First, I’d like to thank all of you who wrote me back and commented on my review of the X-Movie. I love getting mail from you folks. It puts a lil smile on my face. Especially when we’re all pretty much on the same wavelength about something. It makes me feel like less of a crackpot. Not much less, but a little bit. Keep the mail coming! Suggest ideas for columns! Gods know I’m running out.

Or not. The way Marvel is going at it, they’ll be pissing me off for years to come. What am I blabbering on about? Why, the recent state of affairs regarding Gambit and Bishop’s comics.

"What about them?" you may be asking. Yeah, if you’ve been under a rock for the past few weeks, maybe.

Marvel fired Fabian Nicieza off of Gambit, and Joe Harris is leaving Bishop, apparently of his own accord. Fabian was rather unceremoniously removed from his title, and not even informed it had been done until long after the fact. They did not try and discuss the new directions they wished to take the book in with him or anything.

Now, this isn’t entirely a new business practice, but it has never struck me as right. Least of all in this case, where Fabian was doing an excellent job on the title, writing the character so a lot of folks would enjoy it. Even those who could not stand the character.

And who is his replacement? Why, none other than Scott Lobdell, the bane of the X-Books. He will be taking over both books. And I shall be dropping them at that time.

"But Jason," you may wonder, "You should give him a chance!" I’ve given him plenty of chances. I can count the number of stories Lobdell has written that I liked on one hand. And his portrayals of these two characters I have NEVER liked, no matter where I have read them. In fact, his writing of Gambit, and the characterisation thereof, is the reason why many people dislike that character.

I gave Scott a fair chance when he took over Gen13. I figured maybe he would be better without the evil editors at Marvel. Instead, he turned the book back into everything I hated about it. I dropped the title like a stone. I will incidentally be starting to read it again in a few months with the new writer coming on board.

So, that’s two less x-titles I have to worry about for a long time. Oh wait, no, just one, for a few months! Bishop’s current series is ending, and in December, there will be a Gambit/Bishop: Alpha, followed by Gambit going on hiatus, and for the next three months, there will be a six issue, biweekly miniseries with the two characters. After which, Gambit resumes his book, and Bishop gets a new series, complete with #1! Bishop will soon have enough #1 issues to rival the Legion of Superheroes, and Ka-Zar. This is not a good thing.

I hate events like this. Plain and simple. So do a lot of fans. Marvel, smarten up, and treat the writer’s with some respect. Fabian was doing a good job, the sales were pretty steady, and the book was intriguing with tons of mysteries. Which will now be botched by Lobdell’s interpretations. Wheee, saving 4.50 a month!

I’m disgusted.


    Jason M Bourgeois

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Copyright © 2000 Jason M. Bourgeois

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